Mingguo Qiu

The Chinese Visible Human (CVH) datasets incorporate technical and imaging advances on earlier digital humans

We report the availability of a digitized Chinese male and a digitzed Chinese female typical of the population and with no obvious abnormalities. The embalming and milling procedures incorporate three technical improvements over earlier digitized cadavers. Vascular perfusion with coloured gelatin was performed to facilitate blood vessel identification. Embalmed cadavers were embedded in gelatin and cryosectioned whole so as to avoid section loss resulting from cutting the body into smaller pieces. Milling performed at −25 °C prevented small structures (e.g. teeth, concha nasalis and articular cartilage) from falling off from the milling surface. The male image set (.tiff images each of 36 Mb) has a section resolution of 3072 × 2048 pixels (∼170 µm, the accompanying magnetic resonance imaging and computer tomography data have a resolution of 512 × 512, i.e. ∼440 µm). The Chinese Visible Human male and female datasets are available at http://www.chinesevisiblehuman.com. (The male is 90.65 Gb and female 131.04 Gb). MPEG videos of direct records of real‐time volume rendering are at: http://www.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/~crc

Voxel-based analysis of white matter during adolescence and young adulthood

PURPOSE To evaluate differences in age-related brain white matter by voxel-based analysis of healthy adolescents and young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS Echo-planar diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in healthy subjects of 3 groups (aged 11-13, 16-18 and 23-25, respectively). Linear correlative analyses were applied to determining age-related fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), and t-test was performed to compare FA and mean diffusion maps between different age groups. RESULTS Significant positive correlation of FA with age was found in the internal capsule, the external capsule, the frontal white matter, and the body and genu of the corpus callosum. Compared with the 11-13 age group, FA in the 16-18 age group increased in the internal capsule, the frontal white matter, the body and the splenium of the corpus callosum. Compared to the 16-18 age group, FA in the 23-25 age group increased in the frontal white matter, the posterior limb of internal capsule, and the genu of the corpus callosum. Statistically significant negative correlation of the mean diffusion with age was found in the frontal and parietal white matter. Compared with the 11-13 age group, MD in the 16-18 age group decreased in the prefrontal and the temporo-parietal white matter. Compared with the 16-18 age group, MD in the 23-25 age group decreased in the frontal white matter. CONCLUSION Diffusion-tensor MR imaging results indicate that white matter maturation assessed at different ages involves increases in FA and decreases in mean diffusion of the white matter during adolescence and young adulthood. FA and mean diffusion may reflect different physiologic processes in healthy adolescents and young adults. Taken together, these data show that maturation of white matter is an important part of brain maturation during adolescence and young adulthood.

Negative emotion regulation in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Objective To explore the neural mechanisms of negative emotion regulation in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods Twenty PTSD patients and 20 healthy subjects were recruited. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate the modification of emotional responses to negative stimuli. Participants were required to regulate their emotional reactions according to the auditory regulation instructions via headphones, to maintain, enhance or diminish responses to negative stimuli during fMRI scans. Results The PTSD group showed poorer modification performance than the control group when diminishing responses to negative stimuli. On fMRI, the PTSD group showed decreased activation in the inferior frontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, insula and putamen, and increased activation in posterior cingulate cortex and amygdala during up-regulation of negative emotion. Similar decreased activation regions were found during down-regulation of negative emotion, but no increased activation was found. Conclusion Trauma exposure might impair the ability to down-regulate negative emotion. The present findings will improve our understanding of the neural mechanisms of emotion regulation underlying PTSD.

Creation of the digital three-dimensional model of the prostate and its adjacent structures based on Chinese visible human.

We managed to provide three-dimensional digitized visible model of the prostate and its adjacent structures and to provide morphological data for imaging diagnosis and male urological surgery. With 3D-DOCTOR software, the contour line of prostate and its adjacent structures including rectum, bladder, male urethra, ureter, seminal vesicle, ductus deferens, ejaculatory ducts, obturator internus, levator ani, coccygeus, male pelvis, femur, prostatic nervous and venous plexus, internal and external iliac arteries were segmented from the Chinese visible human (CVH)-1 data set and the three-dimensional surfaces of intrapelvic visceras were successfully and accurately reconstructed via surface rendering, which can also be manipulated individually and interactively. Combined with AMIRA software, surface rendering reconstructed model of male urological organs and its adjacent structures via volume rendering reconstruction can be displayed together clearly and actually. It provides a learning tool of practicing virtual anatomy and virtual urological surgery for medical students and younger surgeons.

Alteration of Brain Functional Networks in Early-Stage Parkinson’s Disease: A Resting-State fMRI Study

Although alterations of topological organization have previously been reported in the brain functional network of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, the topological properties of the brain network in early-stage PD patients who received antiparkinson treatment are largely unknown. This study sought to determine the topological characteristics of the large-scale functional network in early-stage PD patients. First, 26early-stage PD patients (Hoehn and Yahr stage:1-2) and 30 age-matched normal controls were scanned using resting-state functional MRI. Subsequently, graph theoretical analysis was employed to investigate the abnormal topological configuration of the brain network in early-stage PD patients. We found that both the PD patient and control groups showed small-world properties in their functional brain networks. However, compared with the controls, the early-stage PD patients exhibited abnormal global properties, characterized by lower global efficiency. Moreover, the modular structure and the hub distribution were markedly altered in early-stage PD patients. Furthermore, PD patients exhibited increased nodal centrality, primarily in the bilateral pallidum, the inferior parietal lobule, and the medial superior frontal gyrus, and decreased nodal centrality in the caudate nucleus, the supplementary motor areas, the precentral gyrus, and the middle frontal gyrus. There were significant negative correlations between the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor scores and nodal centralities of superior parietal gyrus. These results suggest that the topological organization of the brain functional network was altered in early-stage PD patients who received antiparkinson treatment, and we speculated that the antiparkinson treatment may affect the efficiency of the brain network to effectively relieve clinical symptoms of PD.

Thin sectional anatomy, three-dimensional reconstruction and visualization of the heart from the Chinese Visible Human

The research aimed to provide sectional anatomic and three-dimensional (3D) virtual anatomic bases for imaging diagnosis and surgical operation by the use of data from the heart of the first Chinese digitized Visible Human. Data from the series of thin sections of the heart were analyzed and input into an SGI workstation, and 3D reconstruction and virtualization of the heart were performed. Each image of sectional anatomy was clear and the 3D structures of the heart were reconstructed in their entirety. All reconstructed structures can be displayed by multiple structural and color modes, individually or jointly, and can be rotated continuously in any plane. The model of the virtual heart clearly showed fine structures of the heart in random orientation. The dataset of the sectional anatomy provides a fine and integrated morphologic base for imaging diagnosis. The 3D reconstructed images clearly show the internal and entire structures of the heart.

White matter integrity and cognition in mild traumatic brain injury following motor vehicle accident

The aim of this study is to explore the white matter structure integrity in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and to analyze the relationship between the white matter structure integrity and cognitive impairment of patients with mTBI. Twenty-five patients with mTBI and 25 healthy control subjects were studied with conventional MR imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) maps of patients with mTBI were calculated and compared, with these control maps using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Significantly lower fractional anisotropy was found in patients in the uncinate fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and internal capsule. Mean diffusivity was significantly elevated in the body of corpus callosum, uncinate fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and internal capsule in the mTBI group compared with the control group (P<0.05). The mTBI group showed a significant negative correlation between the elevated mean diffusivity of the uncinate fasciculus and the working memory index (WMI) (R(2)=0.51, P<0.05), and the internal capsule of MD values was significantly negatively related to processing speed index (PSI) (R(2)=0.45, P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the FA value of the uncinate fasciculus and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) in the mTBI patient group (R(2)=0.36, P<0.05). TBSS analysis of DTI suggests that patients with mTBI have focal axonal injury, and the pathophysiology is significantly related to the MMSE and IQ of mTBI patients. Diffusion tensor imaging can be a powerful technique for in vivo detection of mTBI, and can help in the diagnosis of patients with mTBI.

Negative emotional distraction on neural circuits for working memory in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder

OBJECTIVE To study the neural mechanism for the impact of negative emotional distraction on working memory in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from exposure to motor vehicle accidents. METHODS Twenty PTSD patients and 20 healthy subjects were recruited. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate the effects of negative and neutral distractors on a delayed-response working memory task. All experiments were performed on a 3.0T MRI scanner, and the functional imaging data were analyzed using SPM8 software. RESULTS The PTSD group showed poorer performance than the control group when the negative distractors were presented during the delay phase of working memory. The functional imaging indicated that, in the presence of negative relative to neutral distractors, the PTSD group showed higher activation in the emotion processing regions, including amygdala, precuneus and fusiform gyrus, but lower activation in the inferior frontal cortex, insula and left supramarginal gyrus than the control group. CONCLUSION Based on the results that activation in the PTSD patients in the presence of negative distractors increased in the emotion-related brain regions but decreased in the working memory-related brain regions, we may conclude that the neural basis of working memory is impaired by negative emotion in PTSD patients.

Creation of a female and male segmentation dataset based on Chinese Visible Human (CVH)

OBJECTIVE Segmentation is a necessary step when creating realistic three-dimensional (3D) models. In order to build 3D models of whole body structures and have a wider lateral application, the thin sectional anatomical images of the Chinese Visible Human (CVH) dataset should be segmented. The more detailed structures are segmented to provide greater potential for wider application of the segmented images. MATERIALS AND METHODS All the images based on the CVH male and female dataset were segmented semi-automatically using PHOTOSHOP software. This research lasted about 7 years. RESULT In this study, 869 structures of CVH male and 860 structures of CVH female were semi-automatically segmented, and the formats for the segmented color-filled image data were PSD and PNG. In these segmented structures, nearly all skeletal muscles included muscle belly and tendon, and hollow organs included their organ walls and their lumen. Most nerve trunks, small arteries, lymph nodes, and lymph ducts were also segmented. Many surface-rendering and volume-rendering organ models were created using these segmented images. CONCLUSION The CVH male and female images represent the normal Asian population. After segmentation, the images can be reconstructed directly in 3D and greatly facilitate the biological modeling of physical and physiological information, a great help in improving medical and biological science in China.

The pre-styloid compartment of the parapharyngeal space: a three-dimensional digitized model based on the Chinese Visible Human

To build a digitized visible model of the parapharyngeal space of the Chinese Visible Human and to provide a sectional anatomic basis for radiological and clinical diagnosis of the parapharyngeal space, sectional anatomy data of the parapharyngeal space were selected from the Chinese Visible Human male and female to compare with MR imaging findings in the axial planes. From these data the parapharyngeal space and surrounding structures were segmented. They were then reconstructed in three dimensions on PC. In the axial planes of the sectional anatomy and MR imaging, the shape, content and relations of the parapharyngeal space were clearly displayed and the dominant plane for showing the parapharyngeal space was elicited. The three-dimensional reconstructed images displayed perfectly the anatomic relationships of the parapharyngeal space, parotid, muscles, mandible and vessels. All reconstructed structures can be displayed singly, in groups or as a whole; any diameter or angle of the reconstructed structures can be easily measured. The Chinese Visible Human male and female data set can provide complete and accurate data. The digitized model of the parapharyngeal space and its surroundings offers unique insights into the complex anatomy of the area, providing morphologic data for imaging diagnosis and surgery of the parapharyngeal space.